Sat waiting for my class to start this morning I began pondering why I had chosen to write as my second career. My first career choice is as a Deputy Head Teacher for young people, excluded from school. The first thing that strikes me is that writing is the extreme opposite of what I do every day. Writing is a very solitary process.  In contrast, working in a school means I am surrounded by people and voices. Makes for some great material to use in my writing as well.

I can’t remember when exactly I got the idea I wanted to write a book.  It seems to have been an ambition of mine for as long as I can remember.  From early teens I wrote a diary, a practice I have continued throughout my life.  I now call it a journal to sound more mature.  Whilst I was qualifying, my writing ignored, put on the shelf for many years.  Now it is dusted off and is an activity which takes up as many hours as I can every week.

Here are the 10 reasons that I write:

1. I write because I enjoy it, whether I am published or not, I love sharing my views with others.
2. I write to improve my craft. It is true the more you write the better you get.
3. A small egotistical part of me wants to leave something in this world when I am gone. A published book will stay available after you leave the planet, for a while at least.
4. I like to share my ideas with others. The teacher in me wants to help people, wherever I can. If similar people are not making the mistakes I have, then I know I have accomplished something.
5. I need to transfer the hundreds of ideas I have had in my head for ages to paper.
6. As an avid reader, I gain a great deal of enjoyment and relaxation from reading. I would like others to gain this from something I have written.
7. I want to master the process of transferring the ideas from my head onto paper in a structure I am happy with. Stories always sound much better in my head than on paper.
8. I want to build a network of people that I can share ideas with and ask advice from.
9. I would like to supplement my income to allow me to spend more time at home with my little girl.
10. I need to challenge myself to see if I can succeed at writing.

What is your motivation for writing?